How many times has someone said that to you in your life? How many times have you said it to someone else? When life is busy and stressful and chaotic, how many times has someone tried to calm you down by reminding you to breathe? There are people in the field of health and wellness who know a great deal about breathing. Stress and worry take a toll on our bodies. And the higher or the deeper our stress level, the more we tend to breathe shallow breaths. So when our body is under stress and we are not breathing as deeply as we need to, our bodies have developed a means of compensating. It’s called “sighing.” In other words, when we sigh it’s often our bodies’ way of telling us we need to take a deep breath. I imagine a few of us in this sanctuary can remember the last time we sighed in the company of other people. It’s not something that’s easy to hide, unless you happen to be in the company of others who are sighing the same way. At the same time, I imagine any of us can remember a time, maybe recently, when we got so overwhelmed with everything going on around us that we forgot to breathe. Never mind breathe deeply.

So often we go from task to task, from activity to activity, from commitment to commitment, from duty to duty, from one person who needs us to the next. And before we know it, we are simply out of breath. Life is moving too fast, we can’t keep up the pace, and we stop breathing the way we need to. It’s almost as if something or someone is tightening like a grip around us, gradually cutting off our air supply… By the time we arrive at the day of Pentecost, the disciples are quite out of breath themselves. It has now been fifty days since Jesus died on the cross, an event which in and of itself caused a great deal of stress and grief and sighing aloud. But in the wake of the Easter resurrection, Jesus continued his earthly ministry among the disciples. The disciples got used to seeing Jesus again. As a result, the disciples breathing finally turned from shallow back to normal again. Yet just as the disciples caught their breath, Jesus did what he told them he was gonna do. He left again. Jesus ascended out of their earthly sight into heaven and returned to the God who sent him into the world in the first place. And it was almost more than the disciples could take. The whole thing was bad enough when Jesus left the first time. The arrest, the betrayal, the scorn and the abuse, the humiliation. Having Jesus die such a gruesome death was heartwrenching. But the second time around…the second time Jesus left the disciples had to be as bad as the first…maybe worse. If the crucifixion left the disciples out of breath, the ascension knocked the wind out of them altogether. Once again the disciples felt that frightening, ominous feeling of someone or something cutting off their air supply… Well in the aftermath of the ascension, the disciples did what any faithful church members would do in a time of uncertainty and fear and chaos. They held a meeting. They gathered together and they got everyone on the same page and they created a game plan for moving forward. There was much to do. They needed to get organized. They needed to identify their gifts and resources. They needed to choose seasoned leaders and develop new leaders. They needed to come up with some kind of a mission statement in order to effectively tell people what God had done in their lives through Jesus Christ. Can you imagine the kind of sighing out loud anxiety that must have filled the room over the course of that meeting? The idea that they now had to carry on and carry out the ministry of Jesus Christ was a daunting prospect. Yes, the poor, the outcast, the sick, the marginalized…they all needed God’s help. Unfortunately Jesus wasn’t there anymore to channel God’s power and make it happen. The magnitude of the task was enough to render the disciples breathless… But right in the middle of that meeting, from out of nowhere, a mighty wind began to head their way. The wind roared through the house, filling each disciple, each follower, with breath that came from outside themselves. The wind, the breath, the sheer power…none of them understood it. They had not asked for this wind nor had they expected it. Nevertheless, the breath swooped into the room and filled each one up. When that mighty wind blew, it gave the disciples and those other followers a reserve of strength they could not access because they did not know they had it. Athletes call it a second wind. After the breath is knocked out of you the first time, you press on and sometimes, suddenly you find a second source of breath to carry you further than you anticipated. Fortified with this second wind, the disciples let loose. They shook off the stress and the fear and the anxiety and they began to speak out loud about the power of God moving in their own lives. They burst out in languages they did not know and they understood languages they had never heard before. And through it all they remembered the bottom line. Once they were no people, but now they were God’s people. Once they were lost, but now they were found. Once they had no future, but when they were given the gift of breath and faith they became Christ’s bold apostles.

It must have been an incredible sight. Those timid, stressed-out disciples preaching and testifying about who God was and the amazing things God was doing. All the people who were there on Pentecost day listened intently. And the crowd that day grew ever larger. Of course there were a few skeptics in the bunch. There were a few in the crowd who were convinced the disciples were drunk. In truth, it’s hard to blame them. Falsely inflated, trumped up courage is often a surefire sign that someone has had too much to drink. Still Peter stood up and started to preach. And in a short period of time, those strangers and foreigners from distant lands. And the young and the old. And people who had never met and had never even seen each other. They all began to breathe a little more easily. A little more deeply. Filled with the breath of the Holy Spirit, that huge crowd of people came together and created the Christian church… The Pentecost story is powerful and dramatic and moving. And while it doesn’t get nearly the accolades, it deserves to be held in the same kind of liturgical esteem as Christmas or Lent or Advent. In the end, however, the most important thing about Pentecost is that it not be contained in the past. The same Holy Spirit that blew mightily on the day of Pentecost blows mightily today. God’s breath challenges us, scares us, reassures us, inspires us, and clarifies things for us. And if we take the Pentecost story to heart, we can trust that the Holy Spirit will grant us a reserve of courage and strength we do not expect. Allow us to see things we never thought we would see. Enable us to speak things we never thought we would hear ourselves say. Empower us to talk about God at work in our own lives and in the lives of those around us. All of you have your own stories of stress and chaos and feeling overwhelmed. God willing, I suspect you also have stories of times when you have found reserves of breath you did not know you had. When you felt something stirring inside you, freeing you and inspiring you just when you thought your airwaves were tightly constricted. Times when you got a second wind in your life and you felt the courage and the resolve and the perseverance you needed to press on… The Holy Spirit, the Pentecost Spirit is what allows us to sing and to dance and to pray and to live fully through each day. So in the name of that Holy Spirit, that Pentecost Spirit, I’m going to ask you to do something with me this morning.I invite you to go ahead and take a deep breath…in fact, feel free to sigh out loud if you want. If you haven’t been able to catch your breath for a while now, I imagine it feels pretty good. If you have a lot going on and you are running from one thing to the next and you feel overwhelmed, I imagine it feels pretty good. If life has recently dealt you a series of tough blows and you feel as though the breath has been knocked out of you and you can’t figure out how you are going to move on, I imagine it feels pretty good.Take a deep breath. Let God’s Holy Spirit fill your lungs. Let God’s Spirit give you strength to carry on. Let God’s Spirit breathe for you. Amen. NOTE: This sermon draws inspiration from a sermon preached by the Rev. Shannon Johnson Kershner. Her sermon, entitled “Breathing Deeply,” was preached on the DayOne radio show on June 4, 2006.

I’m sure there are other important things going on in the world today, but I imagine only a few of them can match the significance, the sheer gravitas of this day at Wapping Community Church. Yes, the long awaited, much anticipated event has finally arrived. Today is Cow Chip Raffle Sunday… Never in the history of Wapping Community Church has a group of people worked so hard and spent so much time and energy trying to predict the psychology and the physiology of a cow. And I never would have guessed before today that by watching a cow meander its way across a grid of grassy squares, trying to influence the cow’s behavior as though the cow cares for one second what I want it to do, I would be able to cross something off my bucket list. I hope many of you make your way over to Foster Farm this afternoon. Grab some lunch while you’re there. Play a few games. Feel not even one ounce of guilt when you try to dump your pastor into the dunk tank. I think you’re going to have a good time. I also think it will be the kind of story you’ll tell your grandchildren someday. In fact, I bet they get such a kick out of the story you’ll be glad you didn’t miss it. However, if you can’t make it over to Foster Farm this afternoon, don’t worry. We’re going to take lots of pictures and we’re going to film parts of the event. It’s one thing for me or someone who was there to give you the verbal highlights of this extravaganza after it’s over. But there are some things in life better captured in living color. In fact, if ever there was an event begging for a well edited YouTube video, today’s Cow Chip Raffle might be it… Speaking of YouTube videos, if Jesus were to recount Luke’s parable of the great dinner in 2015, he might just film it, post it on the Internet, and check back periodically to see if it would go viral… Consider a possible script for today’s Scripture lesson with me, starting with the setting. The one constant in the video would be the lavish banquet tableau, filmed in a cavernous ballroom and focused on a long mahogany table piled high with gourmet food and plentiful bottles of wine and champagne. Each place at the table is set with the finest china, solid silver eating utensils and gem studded goblets. With a huge crystal chandelier overhead illuminating every item on the table and more candelabras than you can imagine scattered throughout the room, polished so carefully you can see your own reflection. In Luke’s version of today’s parable, Jesus sets the parameters of the banquet. And the formality of people’s rsvp’s gives you some sense of the magnificent event Jesus was describing. One wouldn’t respond with the words “I pray that you have me excused,” if this were your average church potluck. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Right at the outset of this YouTube video a few credits would roll. Along with the title in gold letters and a bold and glamourous font. “The Unforgettable Dinner Party.” Followed by the opening scene. A woman and a man in the courtyard of a grand mansion. Surrounded by lush gardens with fountains bubbling over in sequence and the relaxing sound of waterfalls in the background, the two of them sit side by side in their wicker chairs making plans. From time to time, a butler appears in the courtyard, ready to refresh their glasses of ice tea with a few more ice cubes or a fresh slice of lemon. Yet the more the camera focuses on the man and the woman, the more it becomes clear. There is nothing pretentious or pompous or arrogant about these two. The two of them appear to be warm, gracious, gentle. As first impressions go they appear to be filled with good, even honorable intentions. As the couple sits and plans the banquet, they pass names along to the butler. And the butler in turn inscribes names on hand written invitations. “We cordially request the honor of your presence at our banquet. A limousine will pick you up at your home promptly at 6pm.” As the couple and the butler capture the banquet vision together, the to do list of last minute details quickly takes shape. As soon as the invitations are properly engraved, the scene shifts from the courtyard of the mansion to the inside preparations. Mansion staff are busy washing the windows. Waxing the marble floors. Arranging freshly cut crimson roses in ornate vases. Meanwhile over in the kitchen, master chefs create masterpieces. Roast quail and venison. Trays full of ripe fruits and wheels of cheese. Grilled vegetables on long skewers and homemade loaves of bread pulled out of the oven one after another, aromatizing the entire house. Not to mention cakes that would make the Cake Boss proud. Moist and light cakes stacked high on plates…swirled with chocolate ganache and covered with buttercream frosting and brightly colored floral accents. This banquet has all the makings of legend. Until finally the day arrives and the preparations are done. The hostess makes her way down the spiral staircase in a burgundy gown highlighted by a diamond brooch. And the host greets her and takes her hand wearing a classic black tux with matching diamond cufflinks.The two of them make their way to the mansion entrance in time to wave the limousines off to their destinations. And one by one, the convoy of stretch limousines heads through the gates and out into the countryside to pick up the guests. At this point, the video zeroes in on the first limousine. It pulls up to a corporate building near Wall Street. And the limousine driver waits until a messenger comes out the revolving doors delivering word from the CEO. “I regret that I cannot attend…I’m in the middle of negotiating a big corporate merger and the deal can’t wait.”So the limousine pulls away from the curb and sets off to a second destination. A large house in the suburbs with a well-manicured lawn in a quiet neighborhood. However, when the man comes out the door, he informs the driver, “I cannot attend the banquet for I’ve booked a week in my timeshare and I desperately need a week of vacation.”A few neighborhoods away, the limo driver stops a third time. But he’s too late. As a young couple pulls out of the driveway, the bride leans out the window. “We wish we could attend the feast but we’re off on our once in a lifetime honeymoon.” Soon thereafter, the video cuts back to the mansion. As each limo returns empty, the drivers tell the host and hostess the same story. They repeat the same excuses. They shrug their shoulders when asked for a reason. And they wait for further instructions. But not one of them anticipates the next directive from the couple. “Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city and bring in the poor and the disabled and the homeless and the blind.” So once again, the convoy of stretch limousines heads out through the gates…setting off this time for the nearest city.The same limo driver from earlier in the video drives this time past an overgrown park on the outskirts of the city and he sees two men sitting on a bench. Neither of them have shaved in days. They’re wearing frayed trench coats and tattered shoes on their feet. Their hands are dirty and little bits of food and coffee stains have collected in their beards. Nevertheless the chauffeur stops and looks the two men in the eye. “Hop in…I’m taking you to a banquet.” The two of them roll their eyes and snicker and look away. Yet the driver will not be denied. And he jumps out of the driver seat so he can hold the door open. “Really…I’m not kidding.”Next stop…a nearby alley where a young woman has just tucked her two kids to bed in the shelter of a large cardboard box. Understandably, she looks suspicious when the limo stops a few yards away. But one of the two men inside sticks his head out the window and reassures her in a familiar voice. “We’re going to an incredible banquet. Come on, bring your children and join us.” At which point there are five guests in the limousine.

A couple of miles later, the driver spots a young man in a wheelchair. The medal he wears around his neck is a badge of honor. And his two missing legs tell the story of how the medal was earned. “Come on…we’re going to a banquet.” And a couple of them help the man into the limo while the others make sure the wheelchair folds and fits into the trunk. Their missions complete, the limousines return to the mansion filled with people. Ramps have been put out to make the mansion accessible to all. And as each guest gets out of their limo they’re greeted with drinks and appetizers.

One little girl is captivated by the diamond brooch the hostess is wearing. So the hostess takes it off and pins it to the little girl’s shirt. Not far away, one of the men compliments the host on his tuxedo. So the host takes off his jacket and puts it around his guest’s shoulders. The parade of arrivals coming in to the mansion seems as though it never ends. But there is always room at the table for one more. Each guest takes their seat and they look around at their neighbors to make sure it’s not some kind of a joke. Trying to figure out what to do. Eventually, though, they get over their awkwardness and begin filling their plates and their goblets. And soon enough it feels like a real dinner party. People laughing and telling stories. People sharing jokes and tears. When the meal is over, some get up to dance. And some remain at the table for a second helping of cake. But with the help of the light from the crystal chandelier and the mirrored reflections of the candelabra showing smiles on happy faces, the final scene does justice to the title of the video. For everyone in attendance it is an unforgettable dinner party… Actually, it’s God’s unforgettable dinner party. Amen.

What would you think if I told you that what you do this week could change the world? Would you actually buy that idea? If you thought about it and used your imagination, do you think it’s even possible? Or would you skeptically write it off as the kind of claim only a preacher would make? No matter what you might think, I’m going to say it anyway. What you and I do this very week has the power to change the world. And the reason why I know that goes right back to this morning’s Scripture lesson. A story in the Book of Exodus where two relatively unknown women made a bold, almost unthinkable decision, took a risky, dangerous, certifiably crazy chance, and wound up changing the world around them. Shiphrah and Puah are the names of the two women in today’s story. And what they did was both a small gesture and a heroic act. They disobeyed a direct order from the most powerful man in the entire land. With the end result down the road being that God was able to rescue all of God’s Israelite people from oppression…

The Book of Exodus begins on an ominous note. The aforementioned Pharaoh, in all his ego and insecurity, wanted to consolidate and solidify his political power. And Pharaoh decided to concentrate his power using a tried and true methodology. Identify a scapegoat. Blame the scapegoat for all the problems. And then get rid of the scapegoat. The world has seen this script before. Back in World War II, Hitler and Nazi Germany singled out the European Jews and other marginalized populations for extermination. In the 1950’s and 1960’s it was segregation and Jim Crow and racism aimed at Black Americans. In more recent years, the scapegoats have been welfare moms. Illegal immigrants. The “undeserving” poor. Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual and Transgender persons. Muslims pigeon holed as terrorists. One of humanity’s most grievous sins involves our tendency to define ourselves in relation to those around us and then use that definition to deny others their status as beloved children of God. However, this time around in this morning’s passage, Pharaoh’s scapegoat was the people of ancient Israel. Despite the fact that the Israelites were once considered Pharaoh’s honored guests in the land of Egypt, in Pharaoh’s mind the Hebrew people had gradually worn out their welcome. So eventually Pharaoh enslaved them. And finally he decided to tell Shiphrah and Puah, the Hebrew midwives, to kill every newborn Hebrew baby boy. Just as a quick aside, it’s ironic that Pharaoh paid no attention to newborn Hebrew baby girls. I suppose he considered baby girls no threat to him in any way. Although it was two Hebrew midwives, along with Moses’ mother and sister and Pharaoh’s very own Egyptian daughter, who were ultimately responsible for Pharaoh’s undoing. In any case, Shiphrah and Puah refused to kill the Hebrew baby boys. What’s more, they lied directly to Pharaoh’s face. “The Hebrew women give birth to quickly,” they reassured Pharaoh. “We just can’t get to these Hebrew women fast enough to do what you want us to do…” It’s a preposterous explanation. Hebrew women aren’t any faster or slower than any other women at giving birth. But Pharaoh was convinced. And one of those Hebrew boys who apparently was born way too quickly, survived and grew into adulthood. That boys name was Moses and he was the one who led the Hebrew people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Shiphrah and Puah’s simple and courageous act of civil disobedience actually changed the course of history. I doubt Shiphrah and Puah set out to transform the world. Yet because they paid attention to their own conscience and acted faithfully in spite of the immense risk, they did just that... In 2010, Andy Andrews, a noted New York Times bestselling author, wrote a book entitled The Butterfly Effect. Bryan Nurnberger referred to the concept recently when he came a few weeks ago to talk with us about the work of Simply Smiles. Although I haven’t read book myself, I understand the book is filled with examples of extraordinary events in history that can be traced back to simple and courageous small scale efforts. One of the examples Andy Andrews uses in the book is agricultural. A biologist named Norman Borlaug, in the middle of the twentieth century, developed high-yield, disease resistant corn and wheat crops. And because of his efforts, Borlaug not only received a Nobel Prize, but he’s also credited with saving two billion lives from famine in places like Mexico, Pakistan, and India. Obviously, Borlaug deserves a huge amount of recognition for his efforts and the sheer magnitude of the impact he made. But is Norman Borlaug the only one worthy of accolades? Or should Borlaug share recognition with Henry Wallace, the one-term US Vice President who created an office in New Mexico where hybrid seeds for arid climates could be developed. The same Henry Wallace who had the foresight to hire Norman Borlaug to run the program. Or should we credit George Washington Carver who once went on long walks with Henry Wallace and instilled in him a love of all plants. Or maybe we need to include Moses and Susan Carver who once adopted an orphaned George Washington Carver as their son.

The point Andy Andrews makes in his book is that events and lives and actions are interconnected. And any one of us is capable of doing something that will ripple across time and space and wind up affecting the lives of millions. Think about your own lives for a moment. Maybe someone sitting in the congregation this morning is a teacher who will wind up giving one of their students encouragement this week. And because of that encouragement, the student will wind up befriending one of their peers who might otherwise have given in to thoughts of loneliness and despair and self-harm. Or maybe you wind up talking with one of the kids living on your street and giving him or her tips about how to stand up to the neighborhood bully. And when that kid in your neighborhood stands up to the bully, it plants a seed that one day grows into the kid becoming a lawyer or a police officer or a social worker and child advocate. Then again, could it be possible that someone in the sanctuary this morning will hear something in the Scripture lesson or a hymn or the prayer or the sermon that stays with you, resting on your heart? And that word or that music or that prayer gradually takes on a life of its own, causing you to want to make an impact in someone else’s life in the name of Jesus Christ… The things we do today…this week…have ripples. And God willing, most of those ripples will be positive. When all is said and done, the question isn’t whether you and I will make a difference in the world this week. The question is what we will do to make a difference…and how we will do it. What we do doesn’t have to be bold or risky or dangerous or earth shaking. Some things we do might seem so small they will hardly be noticed. But the butterfly effect reminds us that everything we say and do has the power and the potential to make this entire world a better place.

All of which brings me back to the story of Shiphrah and Puah…one of the best stories I can think of to read and remember on this Mother’s Day Sunday. In the name of Shiphrah and Puah then, we honor and remember those mothers in our world who loved God enough to stand up to the death-dealing forces of this world in order to secure a place for us to grow and flourish. In the name of Shiphrah and Puah, we celebrate those mothers who sowed hopes and dreams into the very fabric of our spirits. In the name of Shiphrah and Puah, we recognize the modern-day midwives among us who helped us work through pain and struggle in our lives in order to achieve our goals. In the name of Shiphrah and Puah, we recognize the women in our world whose courage we admired, whose example we looked up to, whose witness served as our frame of reference, who inspired us and mentored us and showed us the way. In the name of Shiphrah and Puah, we acknowledge women who are willing to put people and principles before power. Women who are willing to stand up for what is right in the midst of profound injustice. Women who are willing to persevere even when the odds are stacked against them and the powers that be conspire against them. Women who have changed the world…

Just think…what you do today and this week might just accomplish the same! What I do today and this week might just have ripple effects wider and deeper than I can imagine! The only thing left is to go out and do it…In the name of Shiphrah and Puah, I wish you a Happy Mother’s Day! Amen.

Endowment SundayJohn 14:15-21 In the last scene of the musical Camelot, King Arthur sings a song about what he knew to be the most charming and wonderful place on earth. Alone on the stage, the broken, forgiving king pleads with the audience to remember:“Ask ev’ry person if they’ve heard the story, and tell it strong if they have not, That once there was a fleeting wisp of glory called Camelot! Don’t let it be forgot that once there was a spot For one brief, shining moment that was known as Camelot. The message King Arthur sings is clear. Keep the story going. Pass the story down to your children and generations who will come after your children. Whenever you remember, you keep the dream alive. And maybe, just maybe, even when despair is all around you, your memories will help you recognize when a special moment in a magical place reappears and springs to life once again… As we arrive at the fourteenth chapter in the Gospel of John this morning, picture the set of Camelot looming in the background. Meanwhile Jesus and the disciples are gathered in the foreground. By this point in the Gospel, Jesus knows he will be betrayed and arrested and put to death. No surprise there. Unlike the other three Gospels, from the very beginning of John, Jesus understands and even orchestrates the arc of his life narrative. Here in the middle of chapter fourteen Jesus sits down with his friends around the table, the same way you and I will do a few minutes from now, to share a meal and to offer final words of advice. The words Jesus spoke at this last supper were King Arthur-esque. My friends, remember the glory we shared. Remember the light we brought into the world’s darkness. Remember the lives we changed, the people we healed, the God we loved and served. And sure enough that night, filled to overflowing with the story Jesus told them and the song of Jesus which rested in their hearts, the disciples found a small measure of the fortitude they needed to carry on after Jesus was gone… In many ways, the Gospel of John is the most unique of the four Gospels. Written after Mark, Matthew and Luke, some sixty or seventy years after the crucifixion, John’s community was filled with people who never met Jesus face to face. In fact, not only did John’s community not know Jesus. They likely never knew the disciples either, as most or all of the twelve would have died in subsequent years. And to top it off, the temple in Jerusalem had recently been destroyed…a sure sign to the believers in John’s community that the end of times was right around the corner. In this uneasy, post-Jesus, post-disciple, post-temple, seemingly pre-apocalyptic time, John wrote his Gospel as a message of hope. And part of that message unfolds in today’s Scripture lesson, which is located in a section of John’s Gospel often referred to by scholars as “the Farewell Discourses.” Consider this morning’s Scripture lesson then to be a portion of Jesus’ swan song. Final words of wisdom that Jesus imparted to his followers before his earthly ministry and ultimately his life came to an end. If you look at the entirety of the Farewell Discourses and boil them down to their essence, what you come up with is a series of instructions from Jesus around the theme of “love.” “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you.” “I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.” It sounded straightforward. But as the disciples listened to Jesus and reflected on his words, they asked the question. “How do we do that?” “How do we love other people with the same compassion and conviction you love us?” It was an obvious question, particularly in light of the fact that the disciples, being the human beings they were, struggled and often failed to love throughout the Gospel. Consider the fascinating response Jesus gave to his disciples though. Jesus told his disciples to remember the glory-filled moments they shared together and hold onto them for all they were worth. Hoping in some way that by remembering experiences they had with Jesus, the disciples would in turn be able to remember how to love. But in the end, Jesus wasn’t interested in living among the disciples as a mere memory. Instead Jesus wanted to live among the disciples as an ongoing presence. So Jesus went further and made them a bold promise in today’s verse eighteen. “I will not leave you orphaned.” On the very night Jesus knew he was going to be betrayed and arrested, he said to his disciples that he would be leaving them. Yet in the same breath he also promised he would be coming back. “Because I live, you also will live.” What Jesus asked his disciples was a tall order. Love fully and live fully. Fortunately, Jesus also knew the disciples would not be able to do those things without help. And that’s where the Holy Spirit came in. In the New Revised Standard Version Bible translation we heard this morning, Jesus said he would send an Advocate to help his friends live and love. Other Bible translations sometimes use the word “Helper” instead of “Advocate.” Regardless of the actual word, Jesus reassured his friends. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who advocates for you and helps you along the way, you will feel my presence. The Holy Spirit will guide you and lead you and teach you and inspire you and give you strength even after I’m gone. And he looked at each of those disciples around the table and reiterated. “Trust me…I love you more than you know…I will not leave you all by yourself…”

As he shared a last supper around the table, Jesus effectively left a lasting endowment for his friends. He endowed them with stories and memories they could hold onto even when he was no longer with them in body. What’s more, Jesus endowed them with the gift of the Holy Spirit, who would help the disciples sustain and interpret and carry on the ministry of Jesus for generations still to come. The same endowment Jesus left to his disciples he leaves to each one of us. Whenever we gather for worship or communion or prayer or mission, Jesus endows us with stories and memories that remind us how to live and how to love. Even more, Jesus endows each one of us with the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we can sustain and interpret and carry on the ministry of Jesus for generations to come… Noted church historian Rosemary Radford Reuther theorized in recent years that there are two things every church must do. First, we must pass on or endow the faith tradition to the next generation. Like King Arthur, the church must tell the story loudly and clearly and continuously so that those around us can remember. And so that those who come after us can remember as well. The second thing every church must do? Be open to the Holy Spirit which speaks in new ways and blows in new directions making the church come alive anew in every generation. More than Camelot. More than memory. Yes, the Spirit helps us remember. And the Spirit pushes us forward. The Holy Spirit is the greatest endowment God’s people have ever been given. It started two thousand years ago when Jesus Christ endowed the first Christians and the first church with the Holy Spirit. More than two hundred years ago, that same Spirit endowed the people of Wapping Community Church with the wisdom and the devotion they needed to build this church in this community. In the name of Jesus Christ, and over the course of these last two hundred years, the saints of Wapping Community Church passed the gift of the Holy Spirit down to you and to me so that the Spirit can help us carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ in today’s world. And part of our God given task is to pass the gift of the Holy Spirit down to our children and our children’s children so that the Spirit can help them live as Christian disciples far into the future. Come then and join with me around this communion table filled with bread and cup. It’s a table endowed with stories and memories of the Savior who came in flesh and lived among us. It’s a table endowed with Christ’s presence, reminding each one of us to live and love fully in Christ’s name. And it’s a table endowed with the Holy Spirit, leading us forward boldly as we take the ministry of Christ out into the world and continue to pass it on to those who come after us. Amen.